Abstract Information :

An effective approach to air quality management important in regulating industrial emissions to protect human health and the quality of the environment. Bulky dust plumes can transport enormous aerosol loads into adjacent areas but conventional dust monitoring stations can only measure at specific point locations. As a result, there is an urgent demand for alternative methodologies using advanced monitoring technologies to detect dust plume presence and attributes over large areas with frequent sampling 24/7. Such methods will lead to an improved knowledge of exposure as well as an understanding of the atmospheric boundary layer dynamics linked to the particle exposure. This research study has led to the development of an approach to improve air quality management utilizing a Doppler Lidar to provide both dust concentration and comprehensive wind measurements for use with dust dispersion modelling.

The rapid and large-scale expansion of the iron ore industry at Port Hedland, Western Australia (20.3107° S, 118.5878&deg E) over the past decade has resulted in unacceptably high PM10 and PM2.5 levels in the ambient environment. A CRC CARE funded Advanced Lidar Project identified a number of dust emission sources in the area using of the 1.5-micron coherent Doppler Lidar. The research developed a novel technique for estimation of quantity of PM10 transported in dust plumes. These measurements were calibrated using PM10 data from dust monitors. More extensive measurements compared PM10 data to Lidar backscatter derived estimates and showed a correlation in the range ˜ 0.7 - 0.8.

It was found that the modelled wind successfully replicated the Lidar measured wind fields. The versatility of Doppler Lidar for comprehensively monitoring and analyzing the complex pollution regime (multiple sources) in Port Hedland are outlined in this presentation. The details of the specific methodologies employed in this study are also discussed.

METHODS
To investigate dust plume spatial and temporal transport in Port Hedland area, using both Lidar observations and the CALPUFF model, a research method was designed that incorporated four stages

Point Measurements: Required PM10 station data collected from the two monitoring sites designated in this study as Harbour and Hospital stations.

Model Selection and Configuration: WRF and CALPUFF models were configured to fit the Port Hedland terrain.

Doppler Lidar for Research: The selected Doppler Lidar was deployed at an elevated site and operated 24/7 and collected backscatter and radial wind data. Dust sources and plume trajectories were tracked. Lidar backscatter from dust emission sources and plumes were calibrated to PM10 concentrations.

Result, Analysis and Conclusion: Includes the analysis of all the results by analyzed CALPUFF and Lidar for the assessment of dust levels in the Port Hedland area and concludes by demonstrating the effective role of Doppler Lidar in dust monitoring.